McGrady's dramatic jumper gives Rockets a 2-0 lead

By Jonathan Feigen |
April 26, 2005

• Boxscore
DALLAS - Tracy McGrady did not want a timeout. He did not want a play. He just wanted the ball.

Dirk Nowitzki had finally been magnificent, everything the Mavericks needed. So with the game and the ball in his hands, McGrady was better.

After Nowitzki's game-tying jumper with 10.4 seconds left, the roar was still echoing, the American Airlines Center still shaking as McGrady took off the other way. It went dead silent when he pulled up just inside the arc and nailed his jumper to lift the Rockets to a heart-stopping, 113-111 win over the Mavericks on Monday, smacking Dallas hard with a two-game lead in the best-of-seven playoff series.

"I was basically just saying we're going to be up 2-0," McGrady said.

The Mavericks had 2.2 seconds left to shoot for a tie and Michael Finley did get off a shot, just beyond Bob Sura's reach. But Finley missed, and 20,884 fans, the largest crowd in the four years of the arena, left stunned, knowing the Rockets had taken Dallas' best shot and hit back with a better one.

But before Nowitzki's shot, Van Gundy had asked if McGrady wanted a timeout for the last Rockets possession. When McGrady said he just wanted the ball, Van Gundy told him to tell Yao Ming to set a screen and tell no one else.

Yao had gotten the Rockets off to a sensational start. His 23 points in the first half were two more than he had ever scored in a playoff game. His 17 points in the first quarter were one shy of the franchise-record 18 Hakeem Olajuwon had scored in a quarter at Utah in 1995.

Yao, limited to 20 minutes in the first game, made 13 of 14 shots and all seven of his free throws in Game 2 to finish with 33 points.

Yao 'tremendous'

"Yao obviously was tremendous," Van Gundy said. "I thought everybody on both sides was tremendous. It was a great game. He just had a great game. I'm proud of him."

McGrady added 28 points, 10 rebounds, eight rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals. Barry made four of five 3-pointers to add a much needed 16.

Nowitzki led Dallas with 26, 10 in the fourth quarter, when he made four of six shots.

But down the stretch, every Rockets player the ball found was on target.

Nowitzki had rallied the Mavericks to a 102-95 lead. But the Rockets answered until with 2:50 left, Barry found Yao on a drive that completed an 11-2 run that put the Rockets back in front 106-105.

Nowitzki answered with a running hook. But with the Mavericks determined to take the ball out of McGrady's hands, Sura nailed his second consecutive 3-pointer, putting the Rockets back on top 109-107 with 2:15 left.

Jason Terry tied the game with a jumper and McGrady missed a runner. But with Nowitzki posting up Barry and Barry giving away seven inches, Nowitzki lost the ball inside.

The Rockets went back in front with McGrady using a Yao pick to drive down the lane and then passing to Yao for an uncontested slam and a two-point lead with 66 seconds left.

Nowitzki nailed his jumper. But the Rockets flew back in the other direction.

"We felt we had a better chance of scoring in the flow of the game," Van Gundy said. "Tracy had made a lot of those shots.

"Sometimes, you have to sit there and appreciate a guy who made a great play," Van Gundy said. "He made a great play again."

Magic run?

He made the sort of play that wins more than games, more than even playoff games. Told that Magic Johnson said if Yao plays as he did on Monday, the Rockets would go to the NBA Finals, Yao said, "I agree."

Hearing this, McGrady said, "I agree."

There's a long way to go for that, but it seemed clear that when McGrady shoots this time of year, he is usually on target.

jonathan.feigen@chron.com

Rockets Summary

Yao and fouls

After citing improvements Yao Ming and the Rockets made to keep Yao out of foul trouble, Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy returned to the familiar topic of how Yao is officiated.

"Certainly, Yao at times has been frustrated by the calls — as have I — that he's gotten," Van Gundy said. "I think he's been put at a competitive disadvantage because of his size. There's no one else of his size that plays regularly. It's been a year-long thing.

"That's not complaining or gamesmanship. It's been a season-long (issue). When you go up in the restricted area, you're supposed to be able to jump straight up. His last foul (Saturday), on ( Dirk) Nowitzki, the referee says he's coming forward. You look at the film, he's directly vertical. You look at his post defense versus the guys defending him throughout the season. It's been difficult."

Yao said he is not sure what the officials want him to do in the restricted area.

"I remember early in the season, I tried to (draw) a charge," Yao said. "I stayed on the ground and put my hands up and they said 'You have to jump.' I jump and they still call a foul and don't give me a reason. I say, 'All right, just find a way to stop the ball going to the hole.' "

Mavs' Johnson staying

No matter the outcome of this series, Mavericks coach Avery Johnson has a new contract worth $10 million over four years. Details were not announced by Johnson or club owner Mark Cuban.

Johnson took over the reins of the Mavs for the final 18 games of the regular season and posted a 16-2 record.

Johnson was fined $10,000 Monday by the NBA for failing to leave the court in a timely manner after Game 1. Johnson stayed on the court to shout at official Joe Crawford.

Odd sleep attire

Dallas point guard Jason Terry is really cozying up to the Rockets these days. He has been sleeping in Rockets warmup shorts.

"Once I got the shorts, I was hoping it would be Houston in the first round," Terry said. "So I had to wear them. I know it's crazy, but it's just a superstition."

Press row view

Jeff Van Gundy has called a "film session" for today. Normally, Van Gundy would give the Rockets a day off. There would be, and is, no way he would ask their legs to do any more than get to their chairs. But with the Rockets up 2-0, he wanted his voice in their heads before Game 3.

Van Gundy already has played the "Clutch City" card, citing the Rockets' legendary comeback from an 0-2 hole against the Suns in 1994, as a warning.

As much as he had to scream to be heard over the roaring Dallas crowd, he might be taxing his vocal chords as much the next two days as he delivers that message.

Inside the numbers

• 0 — 3-pointers in seven playoff games for Bob Sura going into Monday's game.
• 4 — Shots made out of five on 3-pointers for Sura on Monday.
• 4 — Consecutive Rockets wins (regular season and playoffs) against the Mavericks.
• 4 — Dallas fast-break points.
• .929 — Shooting percentage by Yao Ming (13 of 14), a club record for field goals in the postseason. It beat Otis Thorpe's .857 on 12-of-14 accuracy against the SuperSonics in 1993 and is the 13th-best performance in playoff history for players taking eight or more shots.

Did you know?

Tracy McGrady finished Game 2 with career playoff highs for assists (10) and blocked shots (three).